S4E01 - What Could Be - PART 2, 3 and 4
by N.P.Lucifan
Summary: OK, so my original plan to divide the story into parts failed because I desperately wanted to submit them all before the actual season 4 of Lucifer was released by Netflix amd seriously ran out of time. What can I say? Life happens. So, with 1 hour to midnight remaining, I present to you the last of my take on what episode 1 of season 4 could be like. I hope you enjoy it !


SCENE 3

Police back-up and EMTs arrived at the scene of the shooting long after the last bullet had been shot. The remaining work that had to be done that day was being finished at the precinct either in interrogation rooms or the forensics lab.

Chloe was forced to stay longer than most, having been called in for more questioning concerning her accounts of the events that transpired. For once, she was happy that Lucifer had left before he could write down a report of his accounts, all for the most selfish of reasons; it wasn't because of the shock of what transpired that she needed time alone, Neither was it because she thought Lucifer was an unreliable witness. No, it was because she was shown proof, albeit unwillingly on his part, that Lucifer was truly the Devil, and she was having more trouble coming to terms with this reality than she would had liked, and so needed time away from him in order to stay calm and level-headed, which she needed to be in order to modify her accounts of what transpired as best she could to conceal the unnerving reality of who, or rather what, Lucifer truly was and what he had done to save her life.

It's still light out, but the day is coming to a close. Everyone is back at the precinct after having spent long hours processing every piece of evidence they could find at the scene.

Chloe sits in one of her precinct`s interrogation rooms, but this time, she's the one that's getting questioned. She would much rather be the one doing the interrogating, but she knows this is a necessary evil.

Her account of the events that transpired in the high rise with whom they knew as `lieutenant Pierce` and his men is being transcribed and recorded for evidence`s sake by the previous lieutenant`s temporary replacement.

The new man in charge, another lieutenant by the name of Harry Renford, sits opposite to Chloe in the cold, grey room. He's much older than she is. In his late fifties by the looks of it, she deduces. Something about his appearance reminds her of her father in an odd way, or rather what she imagines he would have looked like had he lived beyond his thirties. She finds it both uncanny and comforting at the same time, which just adds to the conflict of emotions she was already experiencing.

Lieutenant Renford begins asking the questions concerning the part of the ordeal Chloe wants to recall the least. All she can focus on now is how uncomfortable her chair is. She wonders if this is because they hadn't invested in new chairs for years, of because she's just that anxious at the prospect of saying the wrong thing, not saying enough, or letting something crucial slip like the fact that she was partners with the Devil himself.

``You said by this point you were shot and fell unconscious, is that right?``

``Yeah, I was shot in the chest. I was wearing my vest but the impact was still strong enough to knock me out, but the only injury I got from the shot was a nasty bruise where the bullet hit me.`` she answers, her words clear and concise despite her unsteady state of mind.

``Ok. So this is where it gets confusing. You wrote down in your report that when you came to, you were on the rooftop of one of the neighboring buildings. How did you get there?`` he asks, clearly unsatisfied with what she had written.

``I`m pretty sure Lucifer carried me there to safety. He was the only one there when this thing went down that was on my side. Everyone else was already pointing their gun at us and ready to open fire again the moment Pierce said the word.``

The palms of her hands begin to sweat. Chloe`s uncomfortable and she can sense that this new lieutenant had picked up on this fact already. She hopes that he sums it up to nerves after having been through such a nerve wracking incident.

Most of her focus at this point goes towards keeping a calm demeanor, or at least one that resembled calmness. After all, what normal person could possibly stay calm after having survived such an ordeal? The fact that it involved her ex fiancé who turned out to be a serial killer doesn't make matters any easier for Chloe. Finding out that she was partners with the Devil was the final drop that made the contents of an already full glass begin to trickle over.

The mantra she repeats in her mind to remain focused and ebb her anxieties is the reminder that she has been through worst. She had been shot at before, her father had been killed in the line of duty, his murderer nearly got away, she almost died in a car wreck,and, to top it all off, her daughter had been kidnapped by the deranged and crooked cop Malcolm. Maybe the mountain she faces and would soon have to climb wasn't so high after all, she thinks in retrospect.

`` Our forensics team already started going over the camera footage of all the elevator cars, thinking a few of Pierce`s men might have escaped during this time. What we found that's far more interesting is that neither you, Lucifer or any of Pierce`s men were seen going down around the time you said you blacked out, or otherwise. All we see is you going back up about 30 minutes later, after you first arrived on scene. Now, as much as I`d like to believe in magic, Detective, I have to believe that there`s some logical explanation to all this. So I'm wondering, given the evidence we found, can you provide me with an alternative as to how Lucifer managed such a feat so quickly without using any of the elevators, if it was in fact him that brought you to safety?``

Chloe starts to fidget. She has no idea what to tell him. She's not even sure how it all happened herself. She can't imagine any way that Lucifer could have pressed pause on a shooting, take her up to the rooftop of another building and return to the gunfight in under 10 minutes. What she _is_ sure of is that it had something to do with Lucifer being the Devil, and that was something she would never be able to write in an official police report, not unless she didn't mind being locked up in a psych ward, or worst yet to her, fired.

``I really don't know.`` she begins frankly, ``At this point, I had passed out after being shot. Based on the timeline I managed to piece together, I must have woken up no later than 5 minutes after I blacked out. All I can say for sure is that when I came to, I wasn't in the same building anymore.``

Chloe hears how impossible what she was saying sounded as she spoke the words. The only way she can think of to make the lieutenant back down from this particular line of questioning is to offer him a very possible theory to explain at least part of what happened to her during this time.

``Maybe he took the stairs?`` she offers him.

``I know you haven't met Lucifer yet, but he's in really great shape. I'm sure it's not out of his range of physical capabilities to have ran me to safety in that timeframe, especially given the adrenaline he must have been feeling.``

Lieutenant Renford looks through papers on the clipboard he hold in his hands for confirmation that this was the case but finds nothing; the forensics team hasn't been through the stairwells' CCTV footage yet.

``I'm willing to go with that for now.`` he tells the anxious detective as he sets his clipboard aside on the table in front of him in a neat fashion.

He rearranges himself in his chair, leaving him comfortable and at the peak of his concentration.

_The more difficult the questions are,_ he thinks, _the more likely she`s gonna slip up and say something that goes against her own statements, proving that she's either withholding information or lying about certain facts. _

Lieutenant Renford wants nothing more than to be done with this case. Internal Affairs is breathing down his neck, pushing him to get results, when all he was provided with is a case with enormous gaps and inconsistencies. Not to mention the tension between the officers is thick enough to cut with a knife.

``Here's where I'm getting confused. `` he starts.

``You wrote in your report that you went back to the scene of the crime after you came to, in order to help Lucifer, and that when you did which was about 5 -``

``Ten`` she corrects him.

``Sorry, ten minutes later after you came to, all of Pierce`s men were dead, including the lieutenant himself, the later having been stabbed, not shot like the others, with a knife whose handle you could see protruding from the victim's chest? And Lucifer was standing over him, is that right?``

``Yes.`` replies Chloe simply, but with clear discomfort as she moved in her chair.

The possibility that Lucifer was standing over Pierce, attempting to perform first aid after one of his own men stabbed him might be Chloe`s preferred version of events, but her instincts tell her that this isn't the case.

Her mind drifts and begins remembering in detail this particular part of what happened. She feels as if she's suddenly in a dark tunnel and all she can see at the end of it is the Devil's face where Lucifer`s ought to be. It scares her. She relishes the choice she doesn't have of being left in the dark rather than being pushed into knowing.

,

Chloe quickly refocuses her attention towards the lieutenant while bracing herself for more difficult questions.

``You also say in your written report that Lucifer was unarmed and wore no kevlar vest, and yet somehow, during your absence, everyone in the room ends up dead, most of them from gunshot wounds, except for him…``

Renford pauses briefly, debating how much he should disclose about the CSI`s findings for the sake of his line of questioning.

``... the amount of casings found at the scene suggests that the assailants collectively shot almost 50 rounds. Nearly all their clips were emptied. We combed through the place and were only able to recover a small fraction of those bullets, suggesting that someone took some serious gunfire. I took the liberty of checking and there are no hospitals that report anyone by the name of Lucifer Morningstar being admitted for gunshot wounds recently or otherwise.``

Lieutenant Renford pauses to take a stern look at Chloe. He holds the hopes that either she`ll interject and make sense of what happened with details she excluded from her report, or admit that she falsified information to cover up for her partner, the later being the most plausible scenario he had thought of yet. To his great disappointment, Chloe remains silent in her chair, waiting for him to carry on with his affirmations.

``What I'm getting at here, is that the evidence seems to indicate that your partner wasn`t the target the gunmen were shooting at. This tells me, detective, that either there was someone else there with you that still isn't accounted for _or_ mentioned in your report, or that Mr. Morningstar is bulletproof. Considering we don`t live in a comic book world where people can fly, dodge bullets, run faster than a racecar or bend time, I think it's safe to assume that Lucifer isn't bulletproof. You`re his partner. Surely you have some insight as to why he left the scene before he could make a statement, or who else he might have been protecting other than yourself. I guess what I'm getting at here is do you think Lucifer Morningstar could have been involved more deeply in this than your initial report suggests?``

Chloe`s shocked at his suggestion. She knows that he's a stranger to the people involved, but the suggestion that Lucifer was complicit in the serial killer's actions left her outraged.

``No, absolutely not! I don't know where he is now or how he managed to pull off some of the things he did, but he was _not_ working with Marcus Pierce and his men. As for him not having been shot, he probably was but wore one of those fancy under-the-suit kind of bullet-proof vests. I remember his brother telling me that he wears one under his clothes sometimes and conceals it, hoping he'd impress women by appearing to be invulnerable. A while back he did get shot at, didn't bleed and it turns out his trick worked on some people. All I meant in my earlier statement sir, was that I noticed he wasn't wearing the standard police issued type of vest we normally use.``

``I see.`` says the lieutenant as he writes something down in his notepad.

``And does Lucifer also have the tendency to carry a concealed weapon under his clothes as well?``

Chloe takes a moment to answer him, but only because the thought of Lucifer ever using a gun seems so ridiculous to her. It's no secret that he hates the things.

``No, Lucifer openly hates guns and I don't think he's ever even bothered to learn how to fire one. Putting this aside, I don't have the habit of searching my partner every time we go out on a case, however I don't believe he could ever manage to hide a gun anywhere under those tailored suits of his big enough to wipe out an entire group of armed men in critical time.``

Lieutenant Renford quickly jots something else down on his notepad. Chloe desperately wants to see what he's writing. She's nervous that he might be dead set on the fact that Lucifer was complicit in what happened, and worries that Renford was going to make her the new lead in the internal affairs investigation that was underway.

Discreetly, she tries to lean in to grab a peek at what the lieutenant was writing, but the moment his script becomes lisible to her, he closes his notepad and looks towards her with an unreadable expression.

``I have one last question for you detective Decker.``

``Go ahead.`` he replies with feigned confidence as she sits back in her chair.

``Do you think Lucifer is capable of murder?``

All of her confidence, freigned as it was for the most part, vanishes. Does she think her partner and friend capable of murder? Maybe. She had seen him lose his temper resulting in the use of excessive force with criminals before. However, now that she had seen with her own eyes that he was the literal Devil, her revised answer is a definite `Yes`.

`` I think given the right circumstance, anyone can be capable of murder.`` she answers matter-of-factly. She was trying to avoid answering his question directly, knowing she would have to lie to the lieutenant, to some degree, if she did.

``You`re not really answering my question, detective. Now I`ll ask you again. Do you think your partner, Mr. Lucifer Morningstar, capable of murder?``

Her cheeks drain of all color.

The answer for which Renford is patiently waiting then slips from her lips effortlessly after a brief moment of contemplation. Her answer, to her surprise, doesn`t come from a place of fear or logic, but a place of intuition and heart.

``Everything Lucifer does for the LAPD is to help us punish those that commit horrible crimes against innocent people. He's honest, he's smart and he's not afraid of putting himself in harm's way to help those that really deserve it. Do I think he's capable of murder? Yes, but only if it was for the right reasons. I think if pushed far enough, he would resort to using deadly force like any one of us would use out of self-defence or to protect our families or our fellow officers. But would he ever kill out of cold blood? Never. It would go against every principle and every value he has.``

There. She said it, and in the process, she managed to answer a few of her own questions regarding the type of person Lucifer is as well. She can't help but think of sayings like `Don't judge a book by its cover.` and `Judge a person by their actions, not by their appearance.`. These are the type of things she teaches Trixie, and yet somewhere between having worked alongside Lucifer for three years and discovering the truth about his identity today, she had lost sight of her own values and imparted wisdom. Regaining perspective on them was probably the only good thing that was going to come from this interrogation, she suspects.

Beneath all of her fears, her worries and her doubts concerning Lucifer right now, the way she described him to the detective was no work of fiction. It was an image of who he had proven himself to be time and time again; someone honorable, someone kind, someone selfless -to a certain degree - and someone worth protecting. So, in that moment, Chloe decides that she's going to continue defending him throughout this process, Devil or not, knowing that in the past he had already done the same for her, knowing that in the present, he deserves as much from her.

``Alright detective. That`ll be all for now.`` concludes the new lieutenant on board, ``You`re free to go.``

``Thank you.`` she replies in earnest and leaves the interrogation room without a moment's wait.

SCENE 4

Ella had been waiting for Chloe to come out of the interrogation room since she noticed her being called in by the new man in charge.

Even if she knew before most that Pierce wasn't the man he was pretending to be, she's still having difficulties bringing him down from the pedestal on which she had placed him since reading his forensic article before his arrival at the precinct. Because of this, for her, working with Pierce`s replacement is no small feat, especially now that he's placing her friend under such scrutiny.

``Chloe!`` she calls out, arms open wide and ready to embrace her friend.

Decker`s flushed. No evidence of anything positive happening in that interrogation room can be seen. In one hug, Ella tries to convey a multitude of encouraging speeches, positive affirmations and comforting words, each of which she had rehearsed internally while waiting for Chloe's interrogation to end. However, as she reads Chloe`s expressions in that moment, she knows that listening ears are most-likely the best remedies she can offer her friend.

Chloe accepts Ella`s hug with open arms.

_That girl always seems to chase away the darkness when she's around. Just what I needed,_ thinks Chloe.

``So, that new temp boss giving you a hard time? I know a few people who may know a few others if you catch my drift.`` says the forensic scientist jokingly, ending her sentence with an exaggerated wink.

``Nah, he's not that bad. He's just doing his job. And I get it, you know, he's asked to fill in for a guy he doesn't know, everyone's on edge, learns it`s because the guy he's replacing was a serial killer that got himself killed and the man in charge… It takes guts to take on a job like this during such a shitstorm.``

``Fair enough, I'll take your word for it.``

They start walking back to the forensics lab as they speak. Chloe`s original plan was to go home and poor herself a glass - or a bottle - of wine as she contemplated her future with the LAPD and how Lucifer fit in it, but it would have to wait. Her hopes are that the young miss Lopez can help bring levity and focus back to her grimm and disorderly state of mind.

``So, just between you and me,`` continues Ella in a hushed voice as she scopes out the room, making sure that no one's paying them any attention, ``where's Lucifer at and why did the man not stick around after everything went down? I mean, he may not be the first guy I think of when someone mentions `Code of Conduct`, but he's not doing himself any favors by disappearing after something as big as this happens.``

As Ella talks to Chloe, she closes the door behind them after they enter the lab. They're alone within it.

Chloe`s at a loss for words. It troubles her to the point of nausea having so many unknowns and uncertainties in her life, especially when it comes to those involving Lucifer.

``Honestly, I wish I knew.`` she replies, disquieted by it all.

There are so many more things that Chloe wants to add to what she just told Ella, but out of fear of seeming mentally unhinged from the stress of what she had just been through, she completely refrains from it. The one thought that keeps manifesting in her mind is of how she can't decide, given some of the details that were disclosed by lieutenant Renford, whether she's afraid for Lucifer, or afraid of him.

``Wait, so you weren't just covering for him when you told the new guy you didn't know where he was?`` Asks Ella surprised and in disbelief.

``No. I really have no idea where he went or how he got there. I mean, one minute, I see him standing over Pierce, I leave for a few to catch my breath, then when I come back, he's disappeared from the room, vanished into thin air like some freeking Houdini. I was standing outside the room`s only exit so I would have seen him walk out. I looked everywhere inside the room afterwards thinking he'd been shot and collapsed somewhere, but no sign of him. At least he was well enough to walk away?``

``I can't believe him!`` starts Ella, severely disappointed with Lucifer, ``You get shot at, he somehow manages to bring you to the rooftop of another building to save you from more bullets, then, after it's all over and all the bad guys are dead, he just leaves without telling anyone? Who does he think he is? I mean honestly! Does he even realise how bad this makes him look? Wait! Do we think that he's the one that took out all of Pierce`s thugs?``

``Well, I can at least answer you one of those,`` replies Chloe with a slightly higher pitch than before, which Ella interprets as frustration but was actually fear, ``He thinks he's the Devil and that he can just, do whatever he wants, which makes him lose sight of how his actions affect people around him.``

``Yeah, that's a fair point.``

Ella hadn't given that angle much thought before now. In the end, she decides, the way he acted was a pretty trademark Lucifer thing to do. That being said, Ella struggles with the little facts that are available to her. On one hand, se feels anger towards the fact that Lucifer left Chloe without any friendly consolation or support. After all, it was her boss, a serial killer and also her ex-finacé that was killed amongst the many on top of having organized the entire fiasco that nearly had her killed. On the other hand, her new worries for Lucifer seem to outweigh her anger; either it turns out that Lucifer is the luckiest man in the world, having walked out unscaved from serious gunfire, or is bleeding out somewhere and is in dire need of his friends' help.

``Ella, can I ask you something that has to do with your faith?``

``You know I`m always open to stuff like that.`` she replies with a smile, but obviously a little caught off guard as well.``Ask away!``

``Alright. So I remember how you once said that you weren't sure if the Devil or angels actually existed, but that you didn't want or need proof, `cause that was the whole point in having faith in something -``

``Wow, ok, yeah! I remember having said something like that a while back. It was one of the first conversations we had out of work context, I think. You know, you're a really good listener, Chloe.``

``Thanks.`` replies the detective, heartwarmed by her friend`s reaction but impatient for an answer, as it would help resolve many conundrums of Chloe`s which Ella is unaware exist.

``So we all got pretty used to Lucifer's Devil metaphors and how he claims to be the actual Devil.``

``Yun hun.``

``What I was wondering, is, seeing as the Devil, proof of existence or not, is still part of your beliefs, how are you able to work with someone like Lucifer who honestly believes he's the Devil? I mean, isn't the Devil the sum of all evil as far as the Bible goes? Doesn't that scare you a little bit? I guess I just don't get how you manage working and being friends with someone that represents something so dark to you and your faith when you`re, well, so light.``

``Alright. I think that as much as he _identifies _with the actual Lucifer, he's far from being the real Devil my aunt and Bible studies taught me about when I was a kid. I mean, he's a six foot three caucasian male with dark hair, a great bod and a British accent. No red skin, no horns, no forked tail or goat legs. Looking beyond all that, he's _genuinely good_. I don't think that man has an evil bone in his body! When I look at him, I see a guy that beyond his playboy approach towards life, is really conflicted with his past, probably having it tougher growing up than he lets on. And despite all that, he still wants to make the world a better place by doing what he can to put bad guys behind bars. Not many people, average or not, would even try to help do some good the way he does. Judge a man by his actions not by his words, you know?``

What Ella said in the end was almost the same thing which Chloe had thought of previously. Those words alone validate what her conscience is telling her; she has to stop lingering on what she saw and focus on all of Lucifer`s actions if she's ever going to make the right call about him.

Chloe`s mind jumps to the case involving the Satan worshipers. Lucifer was furious that anything like that could be done in his name. Malcolm`s involvement aside, those kids were living proof that people often got it wrong. A theology course she once took also taught her that religion was mostly a culture's interpretation of the divine. Doesn't she owe it to herself, a non-religious person, to make her own judgements and interpretations of who Lucifer really is based on her own beliefs, her own values and what she's witnessed of his character through his actions, Devil's appearance be damned?

``Thanks Ella, that actually helps a lot.``

``No problem, mi amigo, glad I could help you out.`` she replies, as she wonders how her feelings on working with Lucifer helps Chloe process her own.

``So, what do you have planned for tonight now that you`re free?`` asks Ella.

``I was thinking at first of going home and drinking a glass of wine, maybe even hit the hard stuff all things considered. Dan has Trixie tonight. I asked him to keep her for the next few days until everything at work gets sorted out. Those were my original plans, but now given everything I learned recently about the danger Lucifer was in when I blacked out, I think I'm going to go look for him to see if he's OK.``

``Alright! Gonna conduct your own manhunt! Sounds like fun! Want some help? My shift finishes in a few hours if you need the woman power.``

``Nah, it's fine. I figure he's like an outdoor cat; it'll disappear for some time just long enough for you to start worrying that it got hit by a car, but the moment you fill up its food bowl with something special, the cat comes running back onto your lap.``

``OK, so if we translate cat behavior into Luci behavior, what you`re saying is that you're going to flaunt your tasty morsels at him from afar hoping he'll come jumping onto your lap? So frisky! I like it!``

Chloe blushes.

``No, of course not! I was thinking more along the lines of showing up at Lux with some take-out from one of the places he said were his favorites and hope he comes out from wherever he's hiding. Do you think I should get pizza or Chinese? Maybe I should get both and see which he comes to first.``sais Chloe enthusiastically before Ella grounds her.

``Well, for starters, I think we'd have to assume he has a superhuman sense of smell for that to work.`` kids Ella

``Seriously though, Ì think you're _way_ too invested in this outdoor cat metaphor. I think if Lucifer really did disappear to go into hiding or to lick his wounds, there`s no amount or type of take-out that could force him out. However, I seriously think that if you were to show up at Lux wearing something super hot, he'd probably come to you in a flash. You never know; it might just be worth trying...``

``Ha ha! No! Never gonna happen! As much as I want to find Lucifer, there are some limits to what I'm willing to do.`` affirms Chloe.

Laughter and smiles begin to ebb, making way for a new wave of concern to roll in.

``Hey, out of curiosity, why did you want to know how I felt about working with Lucifer?``

The detective wasn`t ready for that question. Her thoughts change quickly from errant cats to the multitude of worries that had previously occupied her mind, She answers her friend, bending the truth in the process despite her reluctance to do so.

``I worked with Dan and missed the fact that he was involved in Palmetto. Then enters Pierce into my life. Not only do I work with the guy but almost get married to him, and he turns out to be the Sinnerman. Then, there's Lucifer who claims to be the actual Devil and has a tendency to disappear at the worst of times. After this whole thing went down with Pierce, I guess just I feel like I need to reevaluate if I can really trust Lucifer.``

``Wow, that's some seriously critical thinking.`` says Ella in a grave tone.

``All things considered though,`` she continues with cautious enthusiasm, `` I honestly believe that Lucifer is a decent guy. And apart from questionable decisions Dan might have made during the Palmetto investigation, he's not so bad… you trusted him enough to have a child with him and you still trust him or else you wouldn't have asked him to watch over Trixie for the next few days, right?``

``That's true.`` replies Chloe as she thought of all the reasons she still trusted Dan even in knowing the real depth of his involvement in the Palmetto case.

``Going back to Lucifer,``adds Ella, ``you`ve been working side by side with the man for _way_ longer than you`ve known Pierce. In all those years, has he ever given you a reason to doubt him?``

``No,`` replies Chloe, arms crossed and looking sideways, feeling mindly foolish that she had let herself think otherwise, ``if anything, he's recently given me more reason to believe in him than he ever has before.``

``See?`` exclaims Ella, elated that her friend came to that realisation, also completely unaware of the depth that lay beneath the statement that Chloe just made.

``I think going to go find him now.`` says Chloe decidedly; all she can think of is how she had wasted her time trying to decide who and what Lucifer is when he's still the same Lucifer she had known and worked with for the better part of three years.

She grabs her belongings and quickly exists the lab. Lost in thought, she forgets to say goodby to Ella.

``OK! Bye! Go put some food out for that cat of yours!`` yells out Ella to Chloe playfully as she watched her friend make her way out of the precinct with haste.

Chloe waves goodbye haphazardly but never turns to look back.

SCENE 5

Meanwhile, in Hell,

what seems like months had passed to Mazikeen, a demon that had been acclimated to the passage of time on Earth. She sits on Lucifer's throne, holding her favorite lance in hand. She listens as her pupil speaks, reciting the plan they had devised to foil Lucifer`s happiness on earth.

Eve stands before Mazikeen, dressed in the lates of Earth the new ruler`s content, she had confirmed that Lucifer's pentecostal coins could be use as a doorway not only into the world of the living, but also back to the world of the damned. This allowed her to pass into Earth just long enough to retrieve a costume for her lead actress without detection.

Eve is beautiful even to Mazikeen`s standards. Jaw-droppingly so, she had once confessed to her protegee with a hint of jealousy in her eyes. The new ruler of Hell had taught Eve everything from basic self-defense to how modern technology is used, but most of all, she was taught the art of seduction.

Basic history lessons were given on the former Lord of Hell as well as one on the object of his desires; on Chloe, her family and her friends. If it hadn't been for Mazikeen switching the language in the jailers` hell-loops, she would have also had to teach Eve how to speak English. This being said, her writing skills could use some improvement, but Eve would have both the time and the resources to perfect the art of writing the English language during the time they had left in Hell before they begun their plan and when she would make her debut on Earth.

``Alright, Leena,`` began Mazikeen, using the new name she had given Even for the sake of their plan, ``Tell me again. What's a credit card?

``A card that permits the holder to purchase any object as long as the cost does not exceed the monetary sum which the card contains.``

``Good. And now, tell me why it's important not to use this card unless if absolutely necessary.``

``Because it's your name that is on the card, not my own, and if I were to use too much of the money it contains, spend large portions of it at a time or in unusual places, my access to the funds might be denied or Earth`s authorities might be prompted to investigate.``

``Right. And after the initial phase of our plan is complete, where will you go to get the documentation you'll need to pass as one of them?``

``Palmer Funeral Homes in Los Angeles. I'll meet with the funeral director called Niel and present him with half of the amount, five thousand dollars, in physical cash, make my request and then pay him the other half of the total upon receiving the documents.``

``Excellent.`` sais Mazikeen, pleased with the progress her puppet was making.

``Mazikeen?`` she asks hesitantly.

``Yes? What is it?``

``I'm still not sure why we`re going through all this effort in creating such an elaborate plan when it seems it would be easier just to kill the woman called Chloe instead.``

``That's a fair point to make. The reason for it is because if Chloe is threatened in any way, Lucifer will go to great lengths to protect her and has already done so in the past. If he so much as hears a whisper that someone is planning on hurting Chloe Decker, he would hunt them down and make sure, by any means, that they dont touch a hair on her head. Most of all, the only way for Lucifer to truly lose her would be through his own stupid actions. He has to break her heart, break her trust and become unredeemable in her eyes, which is why I need you, my dear serpent. You will whisper sweet notions that appeal to the worst of the Devil`s senses. You will remind him of the Devil he used to be, make him fall for you, and when he`s so mesmerised by your beauty and what you have to offer him, well, you know the rest. Beyond this, Chloe and her offspring also offered me something I was never offered before either on Earth or in Hell. What they gave me bought them my mercy.``

``And what could a woman and her child possibly offer you, the Lord of Hell, that would grant them your mercy?`` asks the newly named Eve, curious as to what could possibly sway Mazikeen into breaking character; the ruler is dominant, she is cunning, she is fierce and backs down to no one. She is a master of combat, she knows the minds of people; their wants, their needs, their desires, and most of all, she never grants anyone in her Hell any mercy.

``You really want to know?``

``Yes, I do.``

Mazikeen bends forward towards Leena and les out a cruel warning before she gives her the answer she wants.

``I`m warning you, if you repeat this to anyone in Hell, I`ll personally cut your tongue out and feed it to the hellhounds.``

``I would never go against you, my Lord. You have my vow of silence.`` assures Leena out of complete honesty.

``Alright.`` answers Mazikeen. She walks up to where Leena stood, the other, standing as still as a soldier while the commander passes inspection on the uniform.

Mazikeen then puts her lips to Leena`s ears and whispers the answer in a voice so low she could barely hear it.

``I see.`` replies Leena plainly, ``Thank you.``

Mazikeen walks over to a large opening carved in the stone of Lucifer`s old palace. Through it, she looks out towards her new kingdom and old home with Leena at her side. They peer at the courtyard of labyrinths, the pillars of hexagonal basalt and the inner ward composed of thousands upon thousands of interconnected cell chambers which contained all of Hell's damned souls.

Were Mazikeen saw a kingdom worth ruling, a home and her future prospects as the new ruler of Hell, Leena looked upon the same landscape and saw the epitome of hopelessness, a place of great suffering and a cage she desperately wanted to escape.

Beneath the facade she puts on for Mazikeen sake, part of Leena dies inside a little every day that she remains in Hell, the darkness gnawing away bit by bit at any of the goodness and light she has left within herself; she's the canary in a coal mine that's beginning to lose its song, slowly suffocating from the the noxious gases of the cavern while others trod along completely unaware of the toxicity they breathe being said, in this particular scenario, if the canary were ever to stop signing for its captor, it isn`t death that awaits it, but an eternity of suffering in in the coal mine which ought to have taken its life.

SCENE 6

Chloe`s in her car. Her hand holds the key to the ignition, but she hesitates. She thinks back to what she told lieutenant Renford about Lucifer. She had defended his character and still believes in every word she said. Further in Lucifer`s defense, what Ella had said about him touched her. The conclusion at which Chloe arrives is that Lucifer, despite his many flaws, is good at heart with equally good intentions in mind when it comes to what she considers to be the `important stuff`.

_What changed between then and now_, she wonders.

Chloe doesn't understand why she's hesitating. Barely twenty minutes ago she had nearly raced out of the precinct to get moving towards Lux. She was ready to leave, ready to wait hours for Lucifer to return home if he wasn't already there, just to get some answers to the myriad of questions she had ready for him, and also, to make sure he was alright.

She had picked up some take-out for them, a type she remembered Lucifer had enjoyed, hoping it would be enough to keep him still long enough for her to perform her own personal interrogation. It was also meant to double as a peace offering for having left him so abruptly after she had caught him off-guard and seen his true face.

In retrospect, it was a bad way to react considering everything they had been through together as partners, she concludes, so she owes him at least an apology. She hopes with all of her heart that Lucifer will be alive to receive it, and finds it in his own to accept it.

Thinking further on it now, she's not sure that take-out is going to be enough to convey all of that, but what else could she possibly offer him? He's a man of means, and she can't think of one thing she could give him that he might not already have.

Her stomach ties itself into knots. She's overwhelmed by guilt and a renewed sense of urgency to find him. She had been so busy dealing with her reactions to having seen his other face, and then, with typing mandatory reports or sitting through interrogations, that she still doesn't know how or even if he escaped from that encounter without being seriously hurt.

She can't afford to waste anymore time. Chloe knows him; he would never go to a hospital to treat his own wounds, not even if his life depended on it. Devil or not, she had seen him bleed before, and like the lieutenant had said, it was unlikely anyone could have avoided all those shots fired without getting injured. However unlike lieutenant Renford, she knew that there was no one else there that morning that could have taken the bullets other than Lucifer.

_There's no way Lucifer is ok_, she thinks to herself, affirming that whatever fears she might have concerning who he really is are outweighed by her fears that she might lose him.

And so, with that thought, she turns the key in the ignition, steps on the petal and drives as fast as she can - within the legal limit - towards Lux.

No matter what reservations Chloe might still have about him being the Devil, she can't allow herself to look passed what Lucifer had done for her; he had once again put himself in immediate danger in order to save her life, which speaks volumes about how much he cares for her. Once more, thinks Chloe, she owes him her life. The least she can do for him in return is to make sure he's alright.

Chloe turns on her car`s radio. Soap&Skins song `Me and the Devil` is playing. Annoyed by the context of the song, she quickly changes the station. Her next favorite station is playing Edwyn Collin`s `Girl Like You`.

``OK,`` she mutters to herself.

Music is normally her go-to when she gets overwhelmed, but both of her favorite stations are playing songs with mentions of the Devil in them, which did anything but help her decompress.

``Please God, anything other song but those that talk about you son, please!`` she mutters through her frustration and angst and quickly changes the radio station to her last of three choices. To her greatest annoyance, Nina Simone`s `Sinnerman` was playing.

``Are you fucking kidding me?`` she exclaims as she slams her hand on the steering wheel angrily before turning off the radio and driving off towards her destination in silence.

Chloe arrives at Lux not long after she left the station. The night air is bitter. A gust of wind passes her by, leaving her uncomfortably chilled. All she can think of now is how the take-out must have gotten cold on the ride there to Lucifer's.

The moment her car door is locked, she begins walking towards the entrance of the low-rise with haste in her every step. Part of her expects the building to be devoid of his presence. Another part of her believes that she might find Lucifer dying from his wounds in a pool of his own blood on the floor of his nightclub.

Chloe reaches the elevator. She looks at its display, hoping to see that it would soon come down to the ground level. To her great disappointment, it's on the highest floor right below Lux, slowly making its way to her, stopping on every floor to pick up new passengers as it did.

She presses the ``up`` button multiple times making it ring a staccato tune of impatience and impracticality. The doorman glances at her with a raised eyebrow. The elderly man had seen her many times before, but had never seen her this eager to visit `The man of the house`, as he calls Lucifer. Chloe gives him a quick, empty smile and continues to press the button anxiously with the hope that the elevator will come down to her sooner, but does so in vain.

At last, the elevator door opens.

Chloe takes a step back with surprise at seeing Linda come out of the elevator car but says nothing. Linda, on the other hand, is just as surprised to cross paths with Chloe but externalises the emotion by throwing her arms up and yelling out a friendly ``Heeey!`` before filling in the distance between them.

``You`re here to see Lucifer.`` says Linda after hugging her friend, partly in disbelief.

Chloe detects the faint smell of liquor lingering on Linda's breath before she steps away from a hug that's almost as warm and inviting as Ella`s.

``Yeah, I was just on my way up there - `` she starts, but is cut soon cut off by Linda`s outspoken reaction to her reply.

``Good!`` she exclaims, wanting to add more but stops herself as she realises that she risked divulging some of what she knew about the situation, including the fact that she's known for years that Lucifer was the actual Devil.

_Patient-doctor confidentiality_, she reminds herself.

``Good.``she repeats, putting a stop to the flow of conversation she wanted to have with her friend.

Chloe can sense that Linda wanted to say something between both those affirmations, but leaves the matter be. Happy as she was to see Linda, Lucifer`s heath was her only priority at this point.

``Is Lucifer up there?`` Chloe asks hastily.

``Yes, he is - ``

``So he's alright then?`` she asks abruptly, impatient to know of Lucifer's state.

Chloe`s heart begins to race as Linda hesitates to answer her question.

``Well… he's alive... I suppose that's something. But I'm sure seeing you will make him feel a lot better.``

Nausea begins to set in Chloe's stomach.

``So, he's not ok.`` she responds, hoping that she misunderstood Linda and that Lucifer was alive, well and unscaved by the nightmare that had unfolded between them, Pierce and his men.

``Haha,`` Linda lets out under her breath as if to say ``Oh boy, where to start?``

``I've definitely seen the Devil in better shape than he is now.`` she replies haphazardly.

Linda`s eyes widen as she realises that she probably shouldn't have phrased her response that way.

_Why did I take that second glass of whiskey?_ she wonders to herself internally with reproach.

Chloe picks up on Linda`s odd response to her own comment. She wants to pry but she decides to drop the issue altogether. After all, Linda had just confirmed one of her worst-case-scenarios was the reality; as much as Lucifer is alive, he isn't well.

She doesn't know the extent of his injuries and decides that she was going to figure that out on her own, right now. The elevator is closing behind Linda and Chloe refuses to waste any more time waiting for an elevator or having a conversation that seems irrelevant in comparison with her need to see her partner. She walks passed her less-than-sober friend and jumps in the elevator car before it has the chance to close its doors on her.

``Thanks Linda. See you around.`` says Chloe.

Chloe presses the penthouse button on the control panel and turns around to face her friend. She sees Linda look back at her, almost surprised, but not quite.

``Goodbye!`` says Linda with an apprehensive tone then smiles back and waves to her friend before the elevator doors close between them.

Chloe looks down at the take-out bag in her hand and almost feels like throwing it away. How could a quick meal possibly make anything better, she wonders in retrospect, disappointed with her own thoughtlessness.

_I should have brought a first aid kit instead, _she thinks.

Her heart races alongside the multitude of thoughts in her mind. Her eyes can't stay focused on a single detail of the elevator car; she feels trapped.

_Why did it take me this long to figure out that he got injured in the shooting, _she wonders, successfully chastising her already guilt-ridden mind.

_How could I have turned my back on him after everything we had just been through together,_ she continues.

``So - stupid!`` she whispers harshly under her breath.

Finally, the elevator door opens. She's thankful that she was able to make it from the ground floor to the penthouse without any interruptions, but then the doors open to a room full of emptiness; the nightclub is deserted. As the french would say, not a cat could be seen. She calls out to Lucifer but no one answers.

Remembering what Linda had said, she comes to the conclusion that it would make more sense if he was resting from his injuries in his own bed. Quickly, she makes her way up Lux`s staircase and to the private elevator that leads to Lucifer`s loft.

There`s no wait for the elevator this time. Chloe gets in the car the moment the doors begin to open then presses the button that forces the doors to close without a moment's wait. She lets her tumultuous emotions ebb just long enough to regain some sense of focus.

However, what she sees next as the car doors open is nearly enough to make her knees buckle beneath her at the sight of it.

``Back so soon, Linda?`` calls out Lucifer at the sound of the elevator doors opening, never turning his head to look her way.

Silence.

His back had been turned to the elevator as he looked out at LA's nighttime landscape while contemplating a world of things with a glass of whiskey in hand, until the lack of any response urges him to look towards his visitor.

``I thought you left with all of your belongings -`` he starts as he turns around to face whom he thought was Linda, but stops mid sentence, stunned at the sight of Chloe in her stead.

``Detective.`` he lets out in a quiet tone, eyes wide with surprise and body charged with excitement.

Chloe stands still in the center of the elevator car. She almost drops the bag of take-out. She's speechless. She`s immobile. She's completely taken aback by what she sees; Lucifer has wings.

``Detective?`` asks Lucifer, genuinely at a loss for Chloe`s strange reaction, having forgotten that he and Linda had agreed earlier that evening that it would be in his best interests if he were to keep his wings in the open until they finished healing.

Chloe is forced to come back to her senses and regain control of her body. She feels foolish standing speechless in the elevator as she was. She knows that if she stands there any longer, the elevator doors will close on her, so she steps into the room but keeps a certain distance from Lucifer.

For a moment, she forgets why she had come there in the first place. She tries to think of something clever to say in response to what she sees, but all that comes out in the faintest of voices is,

``You have wings.``

Lucifer`s startled at her affirmation. He looks to his side and sure enough, his wings weren't concealed.

``Bloody Hell,`` he curses under his breath, `` why does this keep happening? First it's my Devil face you see and now it's my wings…``

Without a moment's wait, he tries to bring the pair of them back within him to conceal them from the shocked detective and does so painfully.

Chloe reaches out in an attempt to stop him as he does this; the sight of him in pain seems to awaken her from her from her stupor.

``Please don`t! Don't hide them from me.`` she says, taking a few more steps towards him as she speaks.

``You don't have to hide anything from me, Lucifer.``

He could have kissed her right then and there upon hearing her say those words. As much as he would love to do so, he refrains, respecting the distance Chloe maintains between them.

He stands up straight, closes his eyes and focuses on liberating his wings once again. In doing so, the wind they create stires stray bloodsoaked feathers he and Linda had missed during their attempt at ridding the loft`s floors of them and all bullets.

Chloe almost can't believe what she sees; she`s disturbed by the sight of such beautiful feathers being so damaged and covered in so much dried blood.

``How badly were you hurt?`` she asks, eyes darkened by the realisation that she had failed him in every way today.

``Let's not talk about me just yet, detective. What I`d like to know is what compelled you to venture into the Devil's layer. I thought I might never see you again after you saw that other face of mine. Needless to say, I`m happy I didn't completely frighten you away.``

``I`m not frightened of you.`` she replies.

Even thought she knows that this isn't entirely true, she says it hoping that it would make him feel better.

``The safe distance you`ve been keeping between us since you've arrived tells me another story, detective.``

``I`m sorry, I didn`t mean to -``

``Hush now. No need to apologise. I completely understand. Considering most humans who see my devil face either wet themselves or lose their mental faculties, you, my dear, seem to be doing wonderfully considering what you`ve seen of me.``

If she's in any way fine with what she saw, it's mostly due to the conversation she had with Ella earlier that evening. However, Lucifer is right; she does have some apprehensions about his identity, whether she's ready to admit it to him or not. She then decides, for Lucifer`s sake, to put whatever lingering fear or worry she has onto the back-burner of her mind. She's here to help him and she can't do that if she keeps her distance from him.

``Lucifer, something the new lieutenant at the precinct said made me realise that you were probably injured and needed my help. In all of the chaos, I just assumed that you left because you were angry I walked away when I saw... You have to believe me, I had no idea you were injured. I swear, I would have come to you sooner had I realised this before. I saw something that scared me and I ran away. I should have never -``

``So you _were_ frightened of me.`` he interjects.

``I was, at first, but I'm here now. And honestly only have myself to blame... You`ve been telling me who you are all this time and I just assumed you were talking in metaphors. You've never been anything other that honest with me.``

``I am a Devil of my word.``he replies with a faint smile, although mildly heartbroken that she still holds on to some of that initial fear despite what she told him.

``I`m _so_ sorry Lucifer. I should have stayed there with you, no matter what I saw. Please, tell me what can I do do make it up to you?``

``I think your presence here is making things better already, detective. It might not help heal my wounds, but it does put my mind at ease knowing that I haven't lost you completely, yet.``

Choe doesn't grasp the depth to what he just said, and Lucifer is in no mood to explain, fearful of pushing her away any further than he already had, inadvertently as it was done.

Before she arrived, he was in pain as his body worked to rid itself of any remaining bullets, heal tissues and grown new feathers. The moment Choe entered the room, the pain he experienced from this healing process doubled, as his body began to react to his injuries the way any mortal's would. Thinking back on it now, he's almost amused by the fact that he hadn't realised it was Chloe and not Linda who stood in the elevator, given his body's body`s reaction. Lucifer is only too happy at this point that there were only a few bullets left to be expelled. Hell's previous ruler might not actually have any predilection towards masochism, but this being said, for the sake of being able to spend time with Chloe, he would endure the pain he feels now tenfold, believing that every ounce of it would be well worth the prize. Luckily for him, he thinks, he has a very high pain threshold.

Chloe had forgotten that she's holding a bag filled with food she had gotten for him until she looks down at her feet in dismay, disappointed in herself even more so now that he's shown her such kindness and forgiveness when she had failed him during the Sinnerman massacre.

``Are you hungry? I brought you take-out from the Chinese place we ordered from the last time we stayed late at work.``

``That's very kind of you, detective. Thank you.`` he says in earnest.

``Healing from severe wounds always has a way of leaving me famished.`` de adds.

When she hands him the take-out, she notices blood flowing down his biceps as he reaches out to take the bag.

``Lucifer, you're bleeding.``

``Hm?`` he lets out inquisitively, then looks in the direction where Chloe's gaze was locked.

Chloe, the take-out bag still in hand, races towards the bar, drops the food on the counter and rushes back to Lucifer with a wet cloth in hand.

``Can I?`` she asks softly, hoping that Lucifer will let her dress his wound for him.

``By all means! I can't say this is exactly how I fantasised us playing doctor, but I can`t honestly say that you taking care of me in this way is in any way a dissapointment.`` he says playfully with a warm smile, hoping his demeanor would help ease the detective`s worries.

Chloe wipes the blood from his biceps and presses the cloth over the open gunshot wound. He winces mildly. Luckily, the wound isn't bleeding heavily so the cloth manages to staunch the bleeding. As she holds the cloth in place, she takes the opportunity to look for other wounds that needed tending. Pleased as Lucifer is that she's so close to him now and paying such great attention to his body, the sentiment isn't quite shared, Chloe`s heart sinking because of what she sees.

Dozens of scars from gunshot wounds healed to various degrees can be seen on his back. Even though none were bleeding like the one on his forearm, she guesses correctly that they were all sustained earlier that day. She makes a closer inspection of his wings and realises that the scars on his back are nothing compared to the damage his wings had sustained. She can barely breathe.

``Lucifer, how many times were shot?`` she manages to asks with a feeble voice,almost afraid to hear the answer.

``Oh, a little over thirty times, I`d reckon, given the amount of bullets me and Linda swept off the floor about an hour before you arrived.``

``That's… impossible. How are you still alive?``

``Perks of being an immortal celestial being, I suppose.``

Chloe nods in acknowledgement. It made sense to her, oddly enough, she thought, but it was still a lot to take in. Earlier that morning she would have been ready to bet that ghosts aren't real, let alone celestial beings. She was stunned by how quickly things could change without a moment's notice.

``Do you have a first aid kit?`` she asks him.

``I can`t say I`ve ever had a use for one before now... I'm afraid you`re out of luck.``

She responds by giving him a stern look, believing firmly hat every household should have a first aid kit, Devil or not.

Chloe, in hearing his answer begins tearing the cloth into large ribbons that would serve as bandages. Once finished, she then ties them neatly around his injured arm, covering the wound, hoping that it helps him heal or at least stops it from bleeding again.

Lucifer knows he won't heal completely so long as Chloe remains close enough to make him vulnerable, however he continues to abstain from telling her this piece of information, relishing in the beauty of the fact that she had chosen to remain a part of his life. However, part of him worries that her presence in his life might be more brief that he hopes; for all he knows, she could have only come here to see him out of obligation or out of guilt. Because of this uncertainty, doubts that things will never return to the way they were remain in the backdrop of his mind.

``Is there anything more I can do to help?`` asks Chloe, ``Whatever it is, just say the word. I'm here for you Lucifer.``

``Right now, there`s nothing I need more from you, Chloe, than for you to remain here with me for as long as you find it tolerable to keep me company. The nightclub is closed for the night, which means that if you were to leave me, I`d be stuck here alone with my thoughts and sad to say, they don't make good company these days.``

``I can do that.``she answers, having expected a completely different response along the lines of an invitation to bed, knowing him. What surprises her the most is that she doesn't know if she would have objected as vehemently as she would have under normal circumstances, and this made her feel uneasy. Was this because she was seeing him truly vulnerable for the first time? Was it because he was an archangel that saw something in her worth saving? If she allows herself to be honest, she had developed feelings for Lucifer years ago when she thought he was just a man stuck in a world of metaphors. Perhaps it was time she began letting the walls she had built between Lucifer and her heart fall, but the cautious, more logical part of her keeps warning her to keep her distance because he _is_ the Devil, and along with this affirmation came many unanswered questions and possible dangers she knows she shouldn't neglect.

``How long have you had wings?``she asks him as she inspected them with awe and apprehension as her stomach still twists in knots at the sight of his injuries.

``Since birth I`m afraid.``

``No kidding.`` she lets out.

Chloe looks at the place between his shoulder blades from which the wings protrude. She wants to touch it, to stroke his wings, but fears this would send him the wrong message. Also, she remembers the way he reacted when she tried to touch the scars on his back a while ago. She desperately wanted to avoid making him angry or feel uncomfortable in any way like that again.

Lucifer stands still as Chloe finishes walking a full circle around him to examine his body for more open wounds. Satisfied, with what she could see, that there isn't a need to make more makeshift bandages, she returns to face Lucifer and carries on with their conversation.

``So that year your crate was robbed and you told me what was inside, other than the Russian dolls... those were actually _your_ wings, as in, _part of your body._``

``Yes, although there's a bit more to that story than you might realise, but I think I`ll keep that one for later.``

``I'm sure there is.``she answers plainly, deciding that how he managed to re-attach his wings to his back was a nutshell she`d crack another day.

Chloe couldn't help but ask next the question that had been nagging at her every time she looked into his eyes and felt herself get pulled into their darkness.

``Lucifer, is this your real face or was what I saw how you really look?``

He waits a moment before answering Chloe. He wonders if this is the bit of knowledge that would send her fleeing. He smiles at her, takes in her beauty and savors the moment before he answers, all while desperately clinging to the hope that what had become the greatest part of his life wouldn't turn out to be ephemeral.

Lucifer takes a deep breath and begins giving her the answer she sought above all others.

``This is my real face, technically speaking. The one you saw this morning was bestowed to me during my descent to Hell millenia ago. It was a parting gift from Dad, so to speak. Honestly, I couldn't stand it at first, but it grew on me over time. Eventually it became a part of my identity as the Lord of Hell. The souls I ruled over feared me because of it and through their fear, I gained their respect, which made ruling Hell much easier, I suppose...

The odd thing is, when I was kidnapped last year and left in the desert, that aspect of mine was lost; my appearance had fully been restored as it was before my father had banished me to Hell. I still don't know how or why this was done, but I know my father definitely had something to do with it. I`ll never understand why he enjoys tormenting me as much as he does… but

moving forward to the events of today, I finally kill Cain, or Pierce, as you knew him, and only doing what he had been asking me to do for months as well as defending your hide and mine in the process. See, us angels, Devil or not, live by a certain set of rules, one of which forbids us to take a human life. I think that as a direct result to the murder I committed, even if it was done in self-defense, my devil face was returned to me, and in your presence, no less.

Honestly, I thought I'd never see you again because of it. I thought that being feared or shunned by you was part of the punishment. For this reason alone, I`ve never hated my devil face as much as I did today, but that all stopped the moment I saw you there, standing between those doors.``

Chloe plans on spending the entire night with him going over some of the things he had just mentioned in that elaborate statement of his. But for now, she sticks with her bundle of questions concerning what she saw, reminding herself that staying with one line of questioning at a time yields the best results in any scenario.

``So, your devil face isn't your real face, just a punishment from God.``

Lucifer nods in reply.

``And your father, God, disfigured you in a way, just to teach you a lesson on top of casting you out of Heaven and banishing you to Hell.``

``That pretty much sums it up, yes.``

``That`s cruel - and barbaric. To do that to his own son…``

``You can begin to understand now, surely, why I don't get along with the man. We may be related, but that didn't stop him from wanting to end my life for having rebelled against him. Consider that face you saw as the lesser of two evils, because I wouldn't be here today had my mum not intervened. It was because of her I was banished to Hell instead of wiped out of existance.``

As a parent, every fiber of her being was raging at the thought of what his father had done to him. To her, it was the equivalent of a man disfiguring his own teenage son for having rebelled against him, only to lock him up in a mine with all sorts of horrible creatures for the rest of his life while simultaneously forcing him to run his own prison. Part of her wonders if God hadn't disfigured Lucifer as well as banishing him to Hell in order to discourage him from trying to escape his prison through shame.

Tears or sorrow and anger begin to swell in her eyes. She would be terrified of her father had he done such a thing to her, and most-likely traumatized for life too, she thinks. To make matters worse, his original punishment was to take Luifer`s life. Thoughts of her own daughter begin to flood her mind but she quickly represses them because she knew it would prove to be too much to bare and she desperately did not want to cry in front of the Lucifer.

Chloe`s eyes fall on his bandage again. Before she had seen his wounds, she expected he might have been shot once or twice as he escaped Pierce and his men. The realisation that he had probably taken most of those bullets to protect her creeps up on her and it comes to her attention like an immense wave that`s drowning her with guilt. Why else would he endure so much pain if he was able to save himself by flying away to safety if it wasn't to defend her, she wonders. This would explain why she hadn't been seriously injured when fifty some bullets had been fired. But does he really care that much for her, she wonders. Maybe he could offer some alternate explanation, she thinks. Either way, she has to know.

``Lucifer, did you take all those bullets to protect me while I was unconscious?`` she asks him, dreading the answer, feeling guilty enough as it is.

``As a matter of fact, I did.`` he answers, caught off guard by the sudden change in her line of questioning.

Chloe looks up as she takes a deep breath, attempting to hold back her tears, but they had already begun building up before this moment.

``Why are you so selfless?!`` asks Chloe, shaken by this truth.

``A lot of people at the precinct believe you're involved in what happened because you disappeared from the scene and it kills me that none of them will ever know how what you did for me. Also, I don't know how this immortal thing works, but I've seen you bleed and I`ve seen your injuries. I`m pretty sure you could have died out there, Lucifer.``she adds through an uneven voice as she begins to cry despite her despite her intentions not to cry in front of him.

``There, there, detective. No need for tears. If anything, we should be celebrating! We both survived Pierce`s assaults and live to fight crime another day! More importantly, you saw my Devil face and came back of your own free will! This alone, for me, is cause for celebration.``

Chloe, teary eyed, smiles and lets out a small huff in surprise that he could be in such a good mood after everything that happened to him, most of which having happened because of her, no less.

``Touched as I am that you care so much about me, there's really no need to worry. I can't exactly say no harm done, but luckily for me, I`m not exactly like most people, being immortal and all, so there really is, nothing to worry about, detective, or any need for tears.`` he tells her, hoping that his word would bring her some comfort.

``Ha! You're right about one thing, you really aren't like other people.`` she says while averting Lucifer`s gaze as the first of her tears run freely down her cheek.

Lucifer cups her face in his hand and makes her face him, tears and all, and gently wipes away the tears from her cheek with his thumb.

``Tell me, Chloe Decker, will you ever find it in your heart to forgive me?``

She frowns.

``For what?``

``For having kept from you an important part of who I was, for having let you believe that I was anything but the Devil or for having frightened you as I did?`` replies Lucifer with in a gentle voice.

Chloe's nearly left in disbelief. He was concerned with getting her forgiveness when it ought to be her asking for his, she thought.

She places her hand over his and takes a moment to appreciate its warmth, its strength and the delicateness placed behind this gesture. Chloe then replies with frankness through closed eyes,

``Yes, of course. I forgive you for all of those things.`` she answers him endearingly.

Chloe looks deeply in his eyes. A grave look is set in her own. She then asks him in turn,

``Lucifer, do you forgive me for having failed you in so many ways today? Compared to you, I`m the world's worst partner.``

The Devil looks so deeply into Chloe's eyes that he feared he was at peril of losing himself within them.

``Of course.`` he lets out in a near whisper.

Chloe sighs quietly in relief.

Lucifer cups her face with both hands, bringing them closer together as he gently rests his forehead onto hers and speaks to her in a low and smooth voice while stroking her cheek with his thumbs;

``Chloe, what would I be without you?``

Chloe closes her eyes and takes the time to appreciate the moment that was unfolding between them. She wanted this moment to last, and for al long as it could. Too many others like this one had been interrupted or had never evolved.

_Carpe Diem_, she thinks, and with that thought, she lets go of all of the fears and apprehensions that were born from that morning`s horrible events and gently lifts her chin just high enough so that her lips reach his. The softest and lightest of kisses was left on Lucifer`s lips. Chloe looks at him eagerly, as she awaits any form of reciprocation.

Lucifer inhales deeply in response to her affection; his body quivers as he realises the opportunity that just presented itself through her advance. Part of him wonders if she isn`t just showing him this affection because she felt guilty for what happened to him, or worst yet, out of pity for him. Before he lets himself contemplate more on the thought that this might be her way of letting him go kindly, a type of swansong to their partnership, he decides to seize the opportunity, come what may.

Lucifer brings his lips to her ear and asks her in a sultry whisper,

``I hope you`ll find it in your heart to forgive me for this as well.``

Before she could say anything in reply, he suddenly brings his hand behind her head, weaves his fingers between locks of her hair as brings her in for a passionate kiss.

He wastes no time in bringing his other hand to the small of her back, efortlessly closing the distance between them in one quick movement.

Lips hard pressed against Chloe's, he tries to pull her in closer against his body with every kiss, wanting to feel every curve of hers against his flesh; his appetite for her is voracious as it always has been.

Their embrace becomes faster, more passionate, evolving into a fusion of both`s desires to be with one another, ones which had been suppressed for far too long.

``Lucifer,`` she begins, stopping them in mid embrace.

``Yes?`` he asks through breaths of air.

``I forgive you, for all of it, including this.``

And with this said, Chloe closes the distance between them, pulling herself as close to his body as she possibly could.

Their embraces becomes fervent, evolving from shared affection into sheer carnal want.

They make their way to his bedroom and one by one, Chloe`s clothes are flung to the floor. She jumps into his arms, barely more than a few garments left on her body and wrapping her legs around his waist. He hold her with ease. All the while their lips never part for more than a few seconds at a time.

Lucifer carries Chloe into his room and closes the door behind them before letting himself fall onto the bed with her beneath him.

_Finally_, they both think to themselves.

SCENE 7

Leena, lead by Mazikeen, exits a portal created by the pentecostal coins. Each of them hold one tightly in their hand. Her first new breath of life is taken with complete exhilaration. The sun had just begun to rise, lighting the skies with gradient shades of bright orange and clear blue. The river before them trickled calmly along its path, its low waters winding through large round stones that protrude from its surface. They can barely see the cityscape from where they are, but they were in LA nonetheless.

_This is it,_ thinks Mazikeen.

As Leena`s other senses adjust themselves, she begins to hear real birds again for the first time in millenia. The green grass beneath her feet is covered in dew drops which cool her feet. Along the river`s edge, a variety of shrubs had taken root which serve as shelter for the small birds whose song echoes in her ears like a refreshing melody. She was alive again, at last.

A smile beams across her face, eyes wide with wonder. It might not be her Eden, she though, but it's a worthy substitute in comparison with Hell.

As Leena walks up to the river`s edge, her dress sways in the cool morning breeze. Her toes are tickled by the dewdrops that fall onto them between the openings of her nightclub worthy sandals. When she reaches the river, she bends down and swirls her hand around in the cold water. She sees minnows. They`re attracted to the gentle movement of her hand, curious of the ripples it creates on the surface of their home. She almost allows herself to laugh gleefully, but with Mazikeen so close behind her, she refrains and attempts to remain as formal as possible.

Leena stands up and makes her way back to Mazikeen who stands not far behind her, keeping in mind the necessity for formality. She is, after all, on a mission, and only after this mission would be completed would she allow herself the pleasure of truly enjoy the world before her.

``So, how are you feeling?`asks Mazikeen.

``I don't know what it feels like for the dead to come back to the world of the living, but for me, crossing over into Earth always feels like I got punched in the stomach by a heavyweight champion.``

Feeling bad for her, the young woman minimizes how wonderful it feels to be alive again.

``I feel fine.`` she answers with a plain smile on her face.

``Alright then. Let's get this started.``

Leena nods in agreement.

Mazikeen opens her hand and holds it out in front of Leena. Without a word spoken, the young woman hands the new ruler her pentecostal coin with concealed excitement; she's handing her the only way back to Hell she has, a place which she never wants to set foot in again so long as she lives. She watches as her mentor hides both coins from sight deep within her pocket.

Leena follows her to a hollow log and watches as she removes a small plastic bag from within it. Its contents are a small assortment of pills, most of which are illegal narcotics which is a fact not unknown to her. ``Party drugs`` Mazikeen called them, reminding herself of the term so that she could avoid them as much as possible in the future.

``Are you ready?`` asks Mazikeen,hoping that her protegee doesn't have cold feet.

``Yes.`` she answers confidently.

They had both discussed on many occasions this part of the plan in detail; it's crucial that everything goes accordingly. The combination of drugs given would make Leena`s body feel strange, send her mind into euphoria and then dull her senses until she would collapse, but not die. This is a cocktail which Mazikeen had carefully put together specifically for this occasion.

Leena`s ready, come what may. She had months to prepare herself for what Mazikeen often called `act one`. She was forewarned this would be the most dangerous act of them all. She knows what's at stake if she doesn't succeed. Her only goal for this part of the plan is to survive. Her greatest motivation to succeed is the knowledge that the final reward would be her beloved Adam avenged and a second chance at life. She firmly believes that it's all worth what she's going to put her body though.

With that said, Leena takes the pills from her mentor`s hand, walks over to the river and swallows them with a gulp of its water.

``Enjoy the ride while it lasts.`` says the mentor to her protegee.

Leena wears a smile on her lips that never makes it to her eyes. The idea of altering her state of mind in any way wasn't something she was looking forward to. After all, the only time she had ever been intoxicated resulted in her loss of Adam and Eden. The only reason she decided to go along with this part of the plan is because this time, no celestial being's magic was involved; this time, everything is under her control.

``Ok. So when you're going to meet with Chloe and Lucifer, you`re probably still going to be out of it. It's important that you remember your training and mention nothing about your real name or let slip that you already know who they are. You`re gonna be a stranger to them and that's how you have to act.``

``Yes, Mazikeen.``

``Other than that, when you wake up, your body is going to hurt like Hell.``

``Considering the pain I lived through for millenia in my hell-loop and endured during our training, this should be…`` she pauses briefly as she searches for her words, ``a walk in the park.`` she finishes with a smile on her face, standing tall and hands held together behind her back.

``Alright.`` replies Maze, satisfied with Leena and the soldier-like attitude she had adopted towards this mission.

This being said, Mazikeen doesn't just see Leena as a soldier she created to be commanded. No, she sees her as an asset, someone she trusts and values above all others. She cares for the young woman too, having found more common points between she and herself than with anyone else she had met during her long life. It was for these reasons alone that Maze had added a few pills into her cocktail that would make Leena feel euphoric; she wanted her to feel something other than pain during her first few hours on Earth, especially given everything Leena had endured. It's the least she could do to help her out. However, holding her new position as ruler of Hell, no sentimentality or mercy could be demonstrated on her behalf. Otherwise, Mazikeen risks losing the respect of all the demons she now has under her command. And so, the truth behind the purpose of those pills, that they were added out of caring and not out of necessity, remains a small secret guarded by Hell's best torturer herself.

Minutes turn to hours before the last phase of the high begins to hit Leena. All during this time, Mazikeen had sat on the hollow log, fiddling with a dagger to spend the time as she watched the progression of the cocktail`s effects. She was almost amused by how the young woman had played and danced by the riverside like a water nymph during this time.

Leena beginnings to slow down. Her pace becomes unsteady. Her entire world is spinning and little by little, she begins to lose sensation throughout her body. She lets her arms hang heavily at her side as they are the first parts of her body to completely lose sensation. She decides to wait for the final effects of the cocktail to manifest by Mazikeen`s side as standing was becoming too much of an effort. She sits on the old log beside and takes in the view of LA`s outskirts.

Her body sways under the pull of its own weight. Maze catches her just in time as she begins to fall backwards. She rests Leena`s numbed body against hers and strokes the hair away from her face.

``Mazikeen,`` she starts.

``Yes?`` responds Maze, turning her head to face Leena.

``It's time.``

``I know hun, I know.``

Something of Mazikeen`s tone gives away her concerns and worries for what was to come. She lets her eyes focus on the glint of the dagger in the morning light, letting her concerns drift away as she focuses on the object before her. She's been keeping a truth from Leena, one that might just prove to be the cause of the failure of the plan on which she had been working so meticulously since Amenadiel had brought her back to Hell. Yes, it was true that Eve was in Hell for having eaten the apple. Yes it was true that her Adam had died and gone to heaven. However, and ironically so, her lead actress that would play the role of a party girl who forgets who she is after a night-gone-wrong was truly suffering from some form of amnesia; Eve had no idea that beyond the event she had relieved for millenia, her life continued. Eve didn't realize that the death her and her Adam suffered in that room was a metaphor to the death of their life in Eden. No, Eve may have been able to lift her guilt in that moment, enough so that she was able to walk out of her prison alongside Mazikeen, but through a trauma born of guilt, the punishment continues as she has no recollection of the life she lead with Adam after the fall of Eden, nor of the fact that she was mother to two children, Cain and Abel, one of which was killed by his brother, one of which was killed by Lucifer. Mazikeen worries that if her memories were ever to come back to her in full, that her newly reformed Leena would try and kill Lucifer for what he did to her child instead of ruining his happiness on Earth. She had witnessed enough of what mothers would do to protect their children already through Lucifer's mother and Chloe, that it almost frightens her to think of what a mother like those would do to the one who stole their child's life. This being said, there was also a possibility that Leena would turn on her because of all the manipulation and the deceit to make her plan work.

Either way, this plan better work, think Mazikeen, hoping desperately that her and Leena`s current goals will be achieved before there`s any possibility that the true Eve will regain memory of the years she lived beyond that scene from her hell-loop.

The new lord of Hell twirls around the blade in her hand anxiously as she continues to weigh the consequences of her failure against the weight of the rewards of her success. In the end, she concludes that the gains for both her and Leena were still far greater than all possible losses and smiles, feeling content about her pan and confident that it would yield some satisfying results.

Finally, the last of the pills take effect, slowing Leena`s heart to a point where without the proper equipment, no heartbeat could be detected. If there were any paserbies in the area, they would think she's dead.

Leena`s eyes close to the sight of great cormorants flying across a rising sun, one unobstructed by any clouds and more radiant that she remembered a sun could be.

SCENE 8

Lucifer admires Chloe as she sleeps. She looks beautiful, serene and oddly enough, satisfied as a faint smile lingers on her lips from the night`s debaucheries.

He sits in the chair across from his bed, dressed in nothing but his housecoat. Part of him wants to let his sleeping beauty rest - they had called it a night only a few hours ago as the sun begun to rise - but another part of him wants to tear away the sheets that were covering her naked body and begin again, injuries be damned.

His wings are concealed out of habit, having healed almost completely when he absented himself for an hour while his partner slept to reach a safe distance and mend the wounds that had secretly bothered him throughout the night. If he had been able to bring her that much pleasure when he wasn't at his best, he couldn't help but imagine how many more times he could make her cry out his name in satisfaction now that he was back at her side in the fittest of states.

No more deliberation, he thinks as he stands up from his chair, leaps over to the bedside and softly sits beside Chloe. He kisses her softly once on her lips and waits to see if she wakes up. She stirs quietly beside him and slowly opens her eyes. She smiles at him and greets him with a groggy `good morning`.

He looks at her eagerly, wantingly, and without a word spoken in reply, he kisses her lips again but this time with passion.

His lips slowly make their way down her cheekbone and into the crevasse of her neck with intermittent kisses, leaving her heart racing in anticipation. He slowly begins to pull down the sheets that covered the upper part of her body. With every ounce of seduction he find within himself, he sits himself over her waist and begins to lay a roadmap to her belly with his lips and his tongue.

Just as he begins to grab the sheets, wanting desperately to pull them further down to reveal the parts of Chloe that pleases him the most, both of their cell phones begin to ring.

He bows down his head in frustration and sighs.

``Bloody Hell.``he lets out, exasperated by the inconvenient timing of the calls which he was certain was work-related, which he knew CHloe couldn't refuse.

Lucifer grabs Chloe`s phone for her from the table nearest him, ignoring his own, and just as he suspected, it was work.

Lucifer sits up straight but still sitting over her pelvic and exaggerates an expression conveying the teedium he feels at the prospect of having to end their sexcapades to go solve another homicide.

``Can`t you just let it ring this once? I mean, the body at whatever crime scene isn't going anywhere, surely on this occasion ours shouldn't have to go anywhere either.``

Chloe, her phone in hand, hushes Lucifer before answering, completely disregarding his lament.

``Hello?`` she asks.

Lucifer throws his head back lets out a patronising sigh.

Lieutenant Renford is on the other line.

``Good morning, Chloe, I hope I didn't wake you up.``

``No not at all. What can I do for you lieutenant?``

Lucifer, unhappy that another man is taking her attention away from him and ruining his fun leans down over Chloe and begins to bite at her free ear teasingly, provocatively.

She tries desperately not to let out a laugh or a sigh, unsure which wanted to come out of her the most. To remedy the situation, she pushes Lucifer's face away from hers with her free hand and gives him a stern look as she listens to what the lieutenant has to say.

``So, any word on Lucifer yet?``

``Yeah! Actually, I found him at his nightclub yesterday. He said in the commotion he forgot that some of our protocols apply to him so he went home to rest. He`s forgetful like that a lot of the time, you know?.``

``No, I don`t but I`ll take your word for it. And what about his health? Is your civilian consultant alright?``

At this point, Lucifer slides his hands slowly over her body and lets them rest on her hips, stroking her belly with his thumbs while giving her a taunting expression. She tries desperately not to let her voice quiver, but despite her success in doing this, her next words come out much higher in tone than they ought to be.

``Yun-hun. He's ok. He was shot at a few times, but he was, you know, wearing one of those fancy bullet proof vests like I though. He's pretty bruised up but he's fine.``

``OK. Glad to hear it. But Chloe, do me a favor and remind him if you see him or get a hold of him before me or your colleagues that he still has to fill out a goddamn report. I mean,come on, he's been working with us for how long now and he just, walks away from a scene like that? Anyway, putting this Pierce nonsense aside, I know you asked for a couple personal days but an anonymous caller reported they saw a body just on the edge of town on the side of the river. All our other detectives are busy with other cases right now. From what they said it seems pretty straightforward, probably take you a few hours, no more. Could you go and check out the crime scene for me?``

Lucifer could hear what the unfamiliar voice was saying through the phone. He shook his head violently from left to right and mimed `No! Don`t say yes! Stay here in bed with me!``.

Chloe pauses briefly, considering staying in bed with Lucifer and shirking her responsibilities, but then reminds herself that she was already under the scope. Refusing to take on another case would probably send the new lieutenant in charge the wrong message, she reasons.

``Yes, of course.``

``Perfect. I`ll text you the address and coordinates. And also, if you could try contacting Lucifer and asking him to join you, that would be great. I tried calling his Cell but no one answered. He probably thought it was someone dialing the wrong number given he doesn't have my contact info yet. And honestly, as much as I`d like to bench the guy while this Sinnerman business is getting cleared up, he's just a civilian consultant so I can't actually do that, and there's the fact that he's a damn good one at that too, I have to admit. I hate to admit it, but no other team at the precinct has your closing rates.``

``Thank you sir. And yes, I`ll try giving him a call.``

``Ok. Thanks for taking the case.``

``Not a problem sir.``

``Goodbye.``

``Bye.``

Chloe turns off her phone, sets it beside Lucifer`s and looks at him in silence with a hard stare.

``Urgh! It`s not like I was shagging you mid call with your new superior listening in!``

Chloe still looks at him intensely but says nothing. Lucifer can't read her expression and its beginning to make him feel nervous.

``Chloe?``

A few more seconds pass by in silence, then Chloe quickly sits up and embraces him passionately, to his delighted surprise.

They kiss, they grab, they sigh through breaths and then Lucifer, to his great surprise, asks Chloe

``What are you doing detective? Didn't you tell the new lieutenant you would take the case? I mean, I`m all for shirking responsibilities for the sake of a good debauchery but this is very unlike you Chloe.``

``I did say I would take the case, but I never specified when I`d be there. I figure we have thirty minutes of playtime then we have to get ready and go. If we take more than an hour, Ella`ll start wondering where we are.``

``Sounds like fun.`` he says with a grin, lays her down beneath him and resumes their previous activities as if they had never been interrupted.

SCENE 9

Chloe and Lucifer arrive at the scene of the crime together. She pulls up the car to the side of the road where the ambulance was parked. The partners exit the car and follow an officer that had waited for them on the side of the road to escort them them down by the river to the scene of the crime.

``Ella!`` lets out Lucifer, almost too enthusiastically as he was still riding the high that he got not only from being intimate with Chloe for the first time, but from the fact that she hadn't pushed him away after having seen his devil face as he initially thought she would.

``Hey Lucifer…`` starts Ella, almost in disbelief to see him walk down the hill beside Chloe. She quickly looks over at Chloe in search of a cue that everything is alright not only with Lucifer but between them both, which Chloe gives Ella with utmost subtlety as she continues to walk towards her.

``So what do we have here?`` asks Chloe as she takes out a pencil and pad from her coat pocket.

``Well, I just started examining the body - I only got here like, two minutes before you showed up - but here`s what I know. Female, approximately 26 give or take, found dead by a passer-by about an hour ago. She has a stab wound on her side, but given the positioning, I`d say she most likely killed by drowning and not by stabbing. My guess is that she was on a bridge somewhere upriver coming back from a night of steady partying given the outfit she's wearing, gets mugged, goes wrong, the assailant stabs her, they struggle, she falls over the railing`s edge and into the water, and it's the combined shock of getting stabbed and hitting the water that knocks her unconscious allowing her to drown, get carried downstream and t where she is now.``

Chloe nods, satisfied with what Ella had explained, all while looking at the body and the surrounding area. While Ella continues to conduct her preliminary examination, Chloe looks towards Lucifer, ready to mention one of her observations, but stops as she sees the odd expression on his face; he seems perplexed to her.

The detective pats her partner`s wrist to break his focus on the dead woman and asks, ``Hey, what's going on?``

Lucifer looks up to Chloe and answers her plainly, ``It's nothing. This woman just looks incredibly a lot like a young woman I used to know, but she died in her old age millenia ago. I find the resemblance uncanny to say the least.``

``Old girlfriend?``

``No, not quite, but just as many regrets with her had she been an ex girlfriend, I reckon - ``

``Holy mother of Christ!``explaims Ella suddenly.

```What is it?`` asks Chloe excitedly, thinking the young forensics officer found a vital piece of evidence. The detective leans in closer to see but can notice nothing of interest. Her stance changes when she sees the look of urgency on Ella's face.

Ella, at a loss for words, tries to signal the EMTs that were still stationed by the side of the road.

``Ella, dearest, do tell, what's going on?`` asks Lucifer calmly although eager to know what the cause for excitement was about.

Ella ignores him entirely and races towards the EMTs that are casually sipping on a cup of coffee as they stand outside their vehicle speaking about God knows what. She waves her hands and calls out to them but it isn't until she`only a few meters away from them that Ella was truly noticed and heard. At this time, she and the EMTs are completely out of earshot for both Lucifer and Chloe. However, being the good detective that she is, Chloe walks around to where Ella was kneeling and saw a few medical tools left beside the body. The monet Chloe bends down to look at the reading on one of the tools, the young woman, eyes still closed, begins to cough out water from her airway.

Chloe almost falls backwards, startled by what she sees. The young woman isn`t a corps; she`s still alive.

``Oh, my God.`` she lets out without thinking.

Ignoring what she just exclaimed, Lucifer rushes to her side and helps turn the unconscious woman on her side so that the water can run free from her lungs. He then looks up towards the EMTs and shouts ``A little help here!``

Soon afterwards, Ella along with the two EMT officers were beside them with a stretcher, ready to take her to hospital.

Both Chloe and Lucifer back away to give them the space they need to to their work and watch them in shock and bewilderment as they strap in whom they had believed to be the murder victim in their next case.

Ella, on the other hand, is furious with their incompetence and doesn't hold back, scolding them for having made suck a rookie mistake.

Just as the EMTs are finishing setting up the journey for the trip uphill to their ambulence, the woman begins to move ever so slightly but just enough to catch Chloe and Lucifers attention. They watch as the woman begins to come to. She frowns, she groans in pain and then, to their surprise, faintly calls out one name before the EMTs begin to make their ascent to the vehicle, an angry Ella still scolding them.

However, because she had already started to walk uphill in front of the two men and their patient, Ella was just far enough that she`s clueless to the fact that the young woman had just spoken. The EMTs seem to have missed this too, which isn't all that surprising to Chloe or Lucifer considering how loud Ella`s shouting is in comparison or how massively they had already screwed up.

Chloe is still frowning in disbelief while a stunned expression seems to be carved in permanence on Lucifer's face. The detective looks at her partner, anxious for an answer to what has become the one question at the top of her list of things she wanted answered by her partner.

``So, you really don't know that woman?`` she asks incredulously.

Lucifer looks at her, almost at a loss for words.

``No, I really do not. At least, I don`t think I do… I`d like to think I would have remembered meeting someone that looks exactly like Eve.``

``The Eve? As in, Adam and Eve?``

``Yes, the one and only.``

``OK. I`m going to overlook the fact that you once knew Eve or the fact that she`s not just a part of some myth or creation for a minute. Seriously, can you explain why the first name she mentions when she wakes up is yours?``

``I really don`t know detective. I wish I had an answer to give you.``

``Right. So you`re already in hot water with the new Lieutenant because you bailed the scene of yesterday`s crime before anyone could question you, so much so that he thinks you might be complicit with Pierce. And now the day after the shooting, the first thing a woman presumed dead by idiots sais once she starts coming to is not her killer's name, but yours? See where I`m going with this?``

``Yes, I believe I do, and it seems that in both cases, I have little to no adequate explanation to ease any suspicions about me. But I assure you, detective, unless if Eve found a way to turn back time to when she was still young and beautiful, found her way out of Hell and resurrected herself which is just, not, possible, I have never met this woman in my life.``

``Well, I guess it could be some sort of twisted coïncidence that she said your name before anything else, I mean, maybe she was hallucinating, or maybe she`s been at your club before, heard your voice and recognized it, she does look the type, but honestly, if those EMTs heard what she said, it`ll go in a report and a shitstorm is soon going to be headed your way.``

``I suppose we'll just have to wait and see if our living corpse decides to get chatty with the blokes and what or living corpse has to say once she fully regains consciousness.``

``You may be right, but you better hope to Hell for your sake that she doesn't repeat you`re name again.``

``You can bet on it, detective. But what I really want to know after all this, is will this upset ruin our plans to resume the plans we made for after we were to finish our police work which is, correct me if I`m wrong, already over seeing as we no longer have a murder victim?``

Chloe rolls her eyes and begins to walk uphill with Lucifer towards their colleague. The ambulance was leaving. Ella watches as the truck rolls away from the scene of the crime towards the nearest hospital at full speed with sirens blaring.

``No, because it was initially classified as a murder investigation, there's still some paperwork and evidence to log at the crime scene that's still active. Until we`re done processing the scene with Ella and finish typing in our reports, the case won`t be reassigned to another department. But Lucifer, promise me you won't tell anyone that we, you know, slept together, just yet.``

``You have my word, detective.`` He replies with a smile.

END OF S4E01 - What Could Be


End file.
